My body after baby: A look in the mirror

Meeting Dallas at a DDPYoga workshop
in January of 2014.

So many things in life are a blessing and a curse.

One of those qualities for me is my unbelievable drive to succeed. I am one of those people who decides I want something and then do whatever it takes to get it. While this leaves me extremely disciplined, it also leaves me unable to relax. My husband in particular does not enjoy that aspect of my personality. (Also truly fitting that I would have a cat on Prozac)

I am planning on blogging my journey to getting back into shape, but it won't be a typical one. I am a unique individual with unique obstacles when it comes to this. While this may result in some cursing my name, it may also allow me to connect with a personality type that isn't typically targeted when it comes to getting into shape: the psycho exercisers.

Taking a quick look back at my getting-into-shape history, I did try eating right while I was in college. What it ultimately created in my 20-year-old self was an absolute obsession with food and an insatiable hunger. All I thought about was what I was eating and when I would eat next. I did lose weight for a time, but it didn't last. I was quickly burned out.

Now 32, I've come to learn more about myself, which has helped me become successful in regards to my health and nutrition.

First off, I don't try to eat perfectly because it creates such a high level of stress in my life. This means that, despite starting my get-into-shape plan a week ago, I have also consumed a full pint of Ben & Jerry's Half Baked over the course of the last 16 hours.

An aside: while the founder of my workout plan of choice -- Dallas Page -- may not approve of that dietary choice, it does clearly state on the package that all ingredients are Non-GMO ... so there's that.

Second, I recruited my husband to be my exercise pulse. I obsess about exercise to the point of mental exhaustion.

Should I work out? I should work out. I need to work out. I'm so tired. I should work out, but it's 11 pm ... should I work out?

(As evidence to my self-diagnosed insanity, I will confirm that I have, in fact, worked out many times at 11 pm.)

My husband gives me one of the following responses:

1. "Don't work out, but I know you're going to anyway"
2. "Just work out, you'll feel better"
3. "You're not working out, have a beer"

He really is the best.

Meeting Dallas has been a great experience,
sparking what I hope will be a lasting friendship.

Finally, I try to make generally good food choices. Meeting Dallas did raise my awareness of chemically-treated food and GMO, but if I tried to eat perfectly (see my first paragraphs), I would go insane and -- probably -- broke.

My solution was to buy organic produce and meats and do the same in other areas when necessary. This has allowed me to make slow change over time. So, sorry Dallas, but Ben & Jerry's is here to stay ... for now.

What I don't strive to be is one of those celebrities in a fitness magazine who boasts about substituting tofu for chocolate cake ("it's her favorite healthy treat!") or "splurging" on pizza and ice cream one day a week. I eat what I want, but what I find is that exercise helps me eat better. When I feel better, I want to eat better.

This lighthearted attitude is a must for me, or I will drive myself crazy. To lose the weight I had put on after my first two kids, I ultimately instilled the help of MyFitnessPal because I recognized the exercise was making me stronger, but not thinner. Right now I can't do that because I'm in the first months of nursing.

(By the way, why can't I be one of those women who "magically" loses all baby weight by breastfeeding? Probably because breastfeeding has me feeding way more than I need to be ...)

So, I'm a week and a half into DDPYoga, which got me into kick-ass shape a year ago. I took my "before" pictures, but went all the way and am only wearing a sports bra in them (don't worry, I'm also wearing pants), so I'm going to hold off sharing them until I have a progress picture to compare.

For now, I'll try to make decent food decisions while doing my diamond cutters diligently.

BANG!